Mumbai: The blaze on Butcher Island, located off the city’s coast, continued to rage for the third day on Sunday. The burning diesel tank suffered heat damage, fire brigade officers said, adding the fire was under control.
The fire broke out around 5 p.m. on Friday at a Bharat Petroleum tank farm on the island facility, operated by the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT). The blaze is restricted to a high speed diesel tank with a 30,000-kilolitre capacity. P.S. Rahangdale, Chief Fire Officer, said, “Due to tremendous heat, the tank defragmented around 11.45 a.m. on Sunday. This posed a risk for personnel involved in the operation, and damage to other tanks. Our teams fought back, while cooling adjoining tanks using water curtains.”
A water curtain uses multiple hoses from various directions to extinguish a major fire and prevent it from spreading. In the Butcher Island blaze, putting out the fire is more difficult as it is caused by burning diesel.
MbPT spokesperson Rajendra Paibir could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.
On Saturday, the MbPT decided to let the diesel burn out. No casualties have been reported in the blaze.
